A roomful of kids gathered in the downtown Rapid City Public Library Tuesday afternoon to make things out of duct tape. The class was part of an after-school program that allows teens and some pre-teens to get some hands-on artistic experience. SDPB’s Victoria Wicks visited the class to find out what’s the fascination with duct tape.
This isn’t your grandpa’s old gray duct tape—this stuff is wild. It’s brightly colored or printed with zebra stripes, mustaches, or camouflage. Most of the kids are making wallets or flowers, but Niles decided to go off script, using some leopard spot tape.
“I’m thinking of making a maybe a duct tape cup or something like that,” says Niles.
“A cup out of duct tape. Do you think it’ll be waterproof?” asks Victoria Wicks.
“Probably or probably not,” says Niles.
This is the first project for Lisa DaSilva, the library’s new teen service associate. She’s heard of teen duct tape projects such as prom dresses and tuxedos, but she started smaller.
“We have a few books here at the library, and I looked through some of those, and some are more helpful than others," says DaSilva. "And then I also looked online and got some step-by-step videos on YouTube of exactly what to do.”
DaSilva says the library sponsors art classes to give kids something creative to do after school.
